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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781546234036 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 03/20/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 110 |
| File size: | 251 KB |
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CHAPTER 1
The Infection
A few minutes past noon in their summer home the Patterson family was having a triple birthday party. The host was 42-year-old, Julien Patterson and his wife, Carol. They got together once during the months for those who have a birthday, to make things easier for the family. The October birthdays are all celebrated here while the other parties take place in southern New Hampshire. In October, there was Pete Spencer who was the boyfriend of, Denise Patterson who is Julien's mother. She started dating Pete after divorcing his father, Roger. Then there was, Christina Patterson's who was married to, William (also known as Will), the younger brother of Julien. With them was their son, Dylan who was turning eight.
The home was a ranch style house that used solar energy, or battery power due to the lack of electricity supplied to the area. They used satellite to get cable and cell phone service. Stone Valley was a rough terrain with vast rocky woodlands, that had a long stream running through it. Where hunters stalked animals for game, food, and profit. Indian Stream was the main water supply to Stone Valley and Clarksville, running down from Canada traveling south-west to the Pittsburgh border.
A music channel on the television played videos, as Julien and Carol finished decorating for the birthday party. They had the help of several people. There was a close friend, Ian Gannon along with two cousins, Amy Patterson and, Lisa Garner accompanied by her husband, Paul Garner.
"How's the new book coming?" Paul asked Julien.
"Good! I think you'll like it."
"I just finished reading 'Realm of Horror' last weekend," Lisa told them.
"I liked 'Cabin Fever' the best out of those short stories," Paul said.
"My favorite was 'Zuma' because I'm in it," Ian chuckled slightly.
"I have you beat," Carol said. "I'm in 'The Guardian' and more."
Then Julien and Carol's wedding song 'Forever and Always' by, Shania Twain came on while a red Jeep Wrangler pulled up. It was Pete driving and Denise in the passenger's seat, followed by Will's silver Ford Fiesta. He had Christina beside him with his sister, Dawn Patterson and Dylan in the back seat. It was a beautiful crisp fall afternoon as they all got out of the vehicles to celebrate the birthdays.
"Welcome," Julien said, stepping out the front door.
"Hey Bro," Will nodded, getting out.
"We picked up a hitchhiker," Christina said, as she shut the door referring to Dawn.
"I would have left her walking," Pete joined in, teasing while Denise got gifts out of the jeep.
"That's okay," Dawn replied. "It would save me from turning you down. I rather walk."
"Well," Carol said, coming to the door. "Come on in!"
Once everyone entered the house, Julien introduced Ian to his family. The front door opens into the living room, with a hallway to the left that leads to the main bathroom and four bedrooms. There was a small bathroom off the master bedroom. The living room opened up to a tiled dining room and a kitchen around the corner. They stacked the gifts on a large oval oak wood table into three different piles for each person. Pete was at the far end near the basement door, with Christina and Dylan on each side. There were a few crockpots along with other food such as snacks, soda, and silverware.
"Help yourself," Julien announced.
"I'm starving," Pete said.
"When aren't you?" Denise asked.
"Never," Dawn chuckled.
"There's the big girl," Will said, as a big black smoke Maine Coon cat, walked through the cracked basement door.
"Hi Cora," Amy said, picking her up to pat while everyone enjoyed themselves.
Julien, Will, Pete, and Dawn snuck away going downstairs in the partially finished basement to have a cigar. The stairwell had wooden walls and steps descending into the room. They went into the den, where Julien sat in an office chair at his desk. Pete sat down in a reclining chair, as Will and Dawn took comfort on the couch.
"You really should redecorate this room and remove the San Francisco stuff," Pete joked, with Julien about being a Forty-Niner's fan in New England.
"Not a chance," he said. "I bleed maroon and gold."
"They looked horrible against the Seahawks last Thursday."
"They need a better offense."
"The Patriots should beat the Jets tomorrow," Will spoke with confidence.
"I hope to win some money on my football sheet," Julien laughed, dropping his lighter.
"That's weird," Dawn replied.
"What?"
"I just had a moment of Déjà vu, when you dropped the lighter. That happened in a dream I had last night."
"I've had Déjà vu before," Julien said, "but, not from a dream.
"Yeah, it was a night of many dreams meshed together. I had a dream we all were here hanging out talking when you dropped the lighter. It got worse right before the alarm woke me up. The series of thoughts, images, and even the sensation felt real."
"You should use the dreams for ideas to write stories like Julien," Pete suggested.
"I'm too busy and have no patience for that," Dawn said. "I'll just tell him my dreams to use."
"That's fine by me," Julien agreed.
"This one was even more unusual than the rest; a meteor crashed and got people sick. It made my skin crawl when one of them with glowing eyes attacked your summer home."
A couple of hours later after everyone ate and the gifts had been open, Christina helped Carol serve cake and ice cream. At four o'clock, the party began to disburse as Paul left with Lisa and Amy. Will drove off right behind them with Christina and Dawn. Dylan was going to head back to Litchfield so that he could spend the night with his grandparents Denise and Pete. They all stayed at the house to help Julien and Carol clean up with Ian.
As the two vehicles drove several miles down West Hill Road, the sky grew darker earlier than normal. They both turned on their headlights just as the engines stalled. Paul pulled off to the side of the road followed by Will when a large circular object soared through the sky into their view. It was giving off a fluorescent green glow with a visible streak of light, racing to the earth and brushing across the treetops. It disappeared below the tree line, breaking branches over the head of a drifter named, Salvatore Fern known as Sal. It caused sticks and debris to fall on the ground around him. The three-foot meteor crashed to the earth, landing in Indian Stream with a fierce impact.
Sal was in the woods at a campsite he made, cooking some baked beans over an open fire. He was sitting on a blue cooler having a phone conversation with a friend. It was, Tom O'Donnell who lived in Clarksville. While the giant green glowing object passed over him, it caused broken limbs to come down around his tent and campfire. As his phone died, he dropped his cigarette to the ground as it started to shake from the meteor hitting the earth. A fluorescent green light shined through the trees towards him, from the area of the crash.
"Hello," Sal said anxiously, into the phone for a response.
Nothing ...
"This is crazy!" Sal grumbled.
He stood confused for a few minutes, then left the camp to look for the fallen object. A half mile away down a slope, he approached the stream beyond the woodland. The bright glow was shining through the trees more, so he shut off the flashlight and covered his eyes. The light began to dim as he got closer to the stream. He stepped into the clearing where the flow was, and the sky started to darken slightly.
Sal watched a fluorescent green substance ooze into the running water. He slowly walked towards it bewildered. The temperature began to decline, and the sky grew darker around the object. A calm wind blew passed the stream. He tried to use the phone again, but it is still dead. All he could do was stand in shock for a while.
Suddenly, a faint growl came from the other side where some trees covered the stream traveling down south. The growling continued for a few minutes until several wolves' heads showed up periodically along the border of the trees. It was a pack of nine timber wolves that were drinking the water downstream. The glowing substance from the meteor quickly tainted them. Their eyes had a fluorescent green glow that sparked through the darkness.
The moment Sal turned around to head back up the slope towards his camp, they all charged him rapidly. He dashed into the woods, gaining momentum to climb the steep hill. Once Sal reached the top, he could see the drooling savage wolf pack start to run up the slope behind him. He sprinted back to his camp following the smell of burning baked beans. When Sal got there, he grabbed a sharp steak knife, staring in the direction of the crash site waiting.
After a short time of panting and trying to catch his breath, which seemed like an eternity, there was only silence. Then multiple pairs of glowing eyes randomly appeared in the darkness a second time, but now they were surrounding him in an ambush formation.
"Okay, come on!" he shouted, waving the knife in the air. "Let's get this over with!"
A large timber wolf slowly stepped out of the shadows and crept into the flickering light from the campfire. He was the Alfa male weighing well over a hundred pounds when the average male wolf would range between ninety-five to a hundred pounds. With a broad, massive forehead and long blunt muzzle, with exposed canine teeth, advanced towards him. It was mostly covered in dark black course fur, especially on his head and down his muscular neck to a broad chest. The powerfully built beast has four sturdy legs that give him exceptional speed.
Once the Alpha male got within a couple of feet of his opponent, the rest of his pack inched into view with hunger. The head of the pack charged at Sal, attacking him as it's jaw clamped down on his arm. A mouth full of razor-sharp teeth bit into his skin, shredding flesh and tendons. It only took a few seconds before they all of them joined in, latching onto both legs and arms, while one jumped on this back. The vicious wolves ripped at his whole body, taking him to the ground. It didn't take long for the dust to settle, after the brutal attack that left blood and human remains scattered everywhere. The infected animals slipped back into the darkness looking for more prey. The death of Sal was the first sign of the ruthless rampage about to terrorize Stone Valley.
While the madness spread through the woods, things back down the road with the Patterson family were about to get worse. There was no cell phone reception, and both vehicles still wouldn't start. The night air became more chilling, as the blowing wind increased. The six stranded family members stood around debating what they should do to next.
"That's strange how both cars died at the same time," Lisa said.
"Some of us can stay with the cars," Christina said. "Then the others should head back to the house to get help."
"We have to go see what just fell from the sky first," Will disagreed. "We might have witnessed something here."
"You insane?" Christina asked.
"It might not be a wise thing to do," Paul stated, "but this could be huge!"
"It's wasting time, that will delay us from getting some help," Amy spoke up. "Especially when we're already losing daylight, faster than usual."
"Yeah," Dawn joined in. "Not to mention, you don't know what could happen. It might not be good for anyone to encounter the meteor."
"The best solution would be to split up into three pairs," Paul suggested. "Then we could utilize all our options."
"I don't think you should go down there looking for this thing Will," Christina retorted.
"I'll go find it," Paul volunteered.
"Then I'll go with you," Lisa added.
"That means, I'll head back to the house for help," Will replied.
"Okay," Dawn said. "I'll follow Will."
"I'm fine. You can stay at the cars with Christina and Amy."
"I won't let you go alone," Dawn insisted.
"Alright," Paul said. "It's settled. Let's get going."
They all went their ways leaving Christina and Amy behind to wait.
"It's a good thing the car battery is working at least," Christina uttered, sitting in Will's car while listening to the local rock station.
"I could use a good smoke," Amy replied.
She lit it up a Marlboro cigarette, taking a long drag as a Beatles song came on the radio. They were listening to, John Lennon singing lead in the song 'Help.' In the darkness lurking behind Amy came the pack of infected wolves. It didn't take long before Christina noticed the bloodthirsty beasts sneaking up on her. She screamed to give a warning. Amy realized she became the prey and it was a race to get to safety in Will's car.
"Get in," Christina yelled, moving from the driver's seat into the passengers' seat.
"Shit!" Amy shouted, running at full speed.
"Hurry!"
She made it to the Ford Fiesta jumping in the driver's seat, slamming the door shut with its window open. She started to close the window, as several wolves rushed for her. One of them launched its head through the opening. It was the female beta wolf with a slender body. The wolf attempt to bite Amy, scratching the skin on her forearm with its two canine teeth. The words from the song 'help I need somebody,' were drowned out by the screaming of both girls. Then a gunshot went off, from a .300 Savage Rifle.
It was two Stone Valley Rangers on horseback, armed with matching weapons that were aiming at the wolves. Bill Chase and Jamie from the post were dressed in light tan uniforms, wearing cowboy hats. When Bill shot and killed a dark brown male wolf, near the female that drew Amy's blood, the surviving pack ran off into the woods. The dead wolf laid on the road below the driver's door, with a bullet hole in its upper rib cage.
CHAPTER 2Succubus and Hellhounds
"I can't believe we saw that thing pass by us," Lisa said, walking behind Paul. "I wonder what it is."
"We shall soon find out, but it seems to be getting colder."
"I was thinking of that."
"We should be getting closer," Paul noticed the glow shining through the trees.
"Snow," she said, as flakes started to fall.
"What the hell," he responded, entering the clearing. "Never mind the snow, there it is!"
"It's amazing!" she stood in shock.
"I wonder if this thing has anything to do with our cars stalling," he said, walking over to it.
"It's possible," she replied. "I wouldn't touch it."
"This is amazing," he crouched down, observing the meteor.
"I hate it," she said, walking over to him.
"It's wicked unusual."
"I have to go to the bathroom," Lisa spoke faintly, in a concerned tone approaching him. She looked over this shoulder, "then we have to get out of here and report this. It could be hazardous to us."
"Okay," he agreed, glancing at her. "You can go to the bathroom behind the big rock; then we'll go."
When she walked away, Paul took out a small eight-ounce bottle of water from his jacket. He used the big rocks sticking up out from the stream to get closer. He opened it pouring the fresh water into the creek. Then filled it up with tainted water that ran around the meteor to have a sample of the glowing substance. He put the bottle back into his pocket staring at the meteor. He couldn't resist slowly reaching out for it with his right finger pointing. It was calling out to him. The second he contacted with the solid mass it felt like a sharp edge cut his finger and drew blood. A small amount of blood stayed on the meteor's jagged corner while he pulled away. Paul stuck the finger in his mouth sucking on it, not knowing his blood absorbed into the meteor-like a sponge, or that he was infected.
He looked around noticing numerous Common Starling birds, that filled the trees in the area. They were a medium size eight-inch bird, with a yellow bill in the summer and black in the winter. It had a black plumage with a metallic sheen, with speckled white spots, and pink legs. He could see an old Birch Tree with a long branch overhanging the stream, which fills with birds. They would come down to drink the water at times, before returning to the overhung limb. He stood up, turning around as Lisa walked towards him.
"You ready?" she asked.
"Absolutely."
They were getting ready to head back down the road where the cars were as Bill came out from within the trees. He was over six feet tall and two hundred and twenty pounds, riding a giant brown horse with white patches. The snowflakes collected on his hat and the green glow illuminated his bold facial features.
"Paul?" he asked. "Is that you?"
"Yeah," he answered. "Who are you?"
"I'm Bill, a Ranger from the outpost. You two okay?"
"Yes," Lisa answered. "Our car broke down; then we found this."
"I know," he explained. "I was just there with Amy and Christina. I need you guys to come with me, something happened. Forget about the meteor for now."
"What do you mean something happened?" Lisa asked.
"Amy and Christina were attacked."
"What!" she said upset.
"They were attacked by who?" Paul asked.
"It was a pack of wolves; my partner Jamie is with them waiting for us."
"I want to see my sister," Lisa demanded.
"I came to escort you both back to the cars," Bill explained. "But, don't worry Amy and Christina are okay."
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Winter Glow"
by .
Copyright © 2018 John Patten.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Prologue, ix,
Chapter 1 The Infection, 1,
Chapter 2 Succubus and Hellhounds, 8,
Chapter 3 Outsiders, 17,
Chapter 4 Deer Creek Motel, 23,
Chapter 5 The Feather Must Fly, 31,
Chapter 6 Shadows in the Fog, 39,
Chapter 7 Crossroads, 46,
Chapter 8 The Prophet, 57,
Chapter 9 Mountain Peak Lodge, 64,
Chapter 10 A Beast Among Us, 74,
Chapter 11 Rise Up, 84,
Chapter 12 Draco, 92,